My poor elliptical machine has taken a beating. I run that thing into the ground, and for the past few months it's been acting up, making a thumping/clicking sound that I can feel on the left pedal. The diagnosis is a loose wheel and a tiny washer cover thingy that broke. So while my burned out elliptical is patiently waiting for its replacement, I’ve been using this time to try out different workout DVDs from the library.
I always keep coming back to one in particular, the 10 Minute Solution - Carb and Calorie Burner
Each workout segment has a different "theme":
Slow and Steady Burn – The goal is to increase and maintain and elevated heart rate for the whole 10 minutes. This was my favorite workout. The choreography was easy to follow, and it gave me a good (but not too hard) cardio workout.
Carb Killer – Kickboxing workout. Lots of punching, jabs, and kicking. A good, "angry" workout. This one is great when you have a lot of aggression just needing to be released.
Power Blast – high energy cardio with squats, lunges, and plyometric exercises. This is the workout that caused much soreness to my legs and bum the next day! This is also the workout that caused me to sweat profusely.
Interval Burn – Boot Camp inspired workout that I enjoyed. You get to pretend you're jumping through tires and sashay-bend-touch-down-to-the-side, which I found particularly fun.
Metabolism Booster – strength training routine using light weights. Honestly, I didn't spend much time with this segment, but it's still worth your while and provides a good workout.
I typically choose the “Play All” option and do at least 3 workout segments.
The instructor, Michelle Dozios, is clear and easy to follow. She's is upbeat, but not at all annoying, pushing you on with words like, “The more you put into it, the more you get out of it!” and “You can do it; you’re on the homestretch now.”
I found it a bit odd to also hear words of encouragement such as,“You’re burning carbs now,” or “Blast those carbs!” I’m used to hearing the burn-the-fat fight song. But I guess the focus on fat burning is so 1990s! I simply chose to ignore the carb burning exclamations and just concentrated on getting a good workout.
Two downsides I found to this DVD, but they're rather insignificant to me in hindsight. The first one was the fact that there is a pause between workout segments, and this wasn't ideal for me since I wanted to do more than one. The instructor also does a short warm up at the beginning of each workout and cool down right at 9th minute. Thus, the pace slows down. My solution: I kept moving during the pause and warm ups and cool downs. Problem solved!
The second downside: very short warm up and cool down. My remedy was to warm up before starting the video and to continue stretching long after the workout was good and done.
Overall a great and fun workout, and I’m tempted to buy this DVD for my personal collection. I’m still debating because my library is very convenient. Hmm, however, I could always keep this on my Wish List, in case a family member is in need of gift ideas for future holidays - or in case I just feel like giving myself a tangible and fun gift! 
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